Horizontal Wrapping Machine: Applications, Advantages and the Right Choice

Reviewed and updated by ICD - Week 46/2026

“Horizontal packing machine” is used for two different kinds of machine: the flow-pack machine that wraps candy and snacks in pillow-style pouches, and the horizontal (orbital) stretch wrapper for long goods such as pipes, aluminum profiles, and timber. This guide covers the second kind: the goods travel straight through a rotating ring that carries a roll of PE film, so the length of the bundle is not limited by a turntable. If you need a pouch-packing machine for food, that is the first kind.

Two kinds of machine are both called a horizontal packing machine

Type this phrase into Google and the first results are flow-pack machines. Vietnamese sites describe it as a machine that takes film from a roll, forms it around the product, seals it lengthwise, then cuts it across into individual packs, used for biscuits, chocolate, candy, medicine, and cosmetics. A German packaging machine maker calls this exact type a horizontal flow wrapper and publishes an output range from 80 packs per minute to thousands per minute, meaning it suits only small, uniform products run in large quantities.

The ICD machine discussed here belongs to a different family: the orbital stretch wrapper, commonly called a horizontal wrapping machine in Vietnamese. It does not form pouches and does not seal; it wraps PE stretch film around a long bundle and lets the film cling to itself.

How a horizontal stretch wrapper works

Many articles describe it as “the film ring runs along the goods”. It is actually the opposite: the ring rotates in place and the goods run through it. A US wrapper maker compares this to taping around a tennis racket handle: film winds around an object passing through, then cuts itself at the end of the cycle. The goods stay on a conveyor or rollers throughout and do not rotate, so a 6 m or 12 m bundle is wrapped without any lifting or lowering.

Two speeds decide how the wrap looks. With each rotation, the goods advance by a distance called the pitch; the smaller the pitch compared with the film width, the more the turns overlap. Manufacturers publish an adjustable edge overlap of 10-90% or 20-90% depending on the machine, and all stress that ring speed and conveyor speed must be synchronized for an even wrap.

Wrapping time can also be calculated. A 6 m bundle passing through at the maximum conveyor speed of 15 m/min takes 24 seconds, and at 5 m/min takes 72 seconds (excluding bundle loading and film cutting). One machine maker publishes that a 6 m pipe bundle at 6 m/min passes through the ring in about a minute, the same order of magnitude as the calculation above. If you need a higher overlap, run slower: that is the trade-off between bundle tightness and output.

Which goods suit horizontal wrapping and which do not

The best fit is long goods of uniform cross-section that lie stably on rollers: PVC and PPR plastic pipes, extruded aluminum bars, steel sections, timber and long furniture parts, carpet rolls, cable reels. The main purpose is to bind tightly and protect against scratches and dust in transport. For round goods such as pipes, manufacturers often use V-shaped supports so the pipes lie in a stable group and do not roll when the ring turns.

The most important limit is the cross-section, not the length. For a rectangular bundle, measure the largest width and height including corners and protruding points, then calculate the diagonal; that diagonal is what must fit through the ring, and the nominal ring diameter is larger than the usable range for goods. For the ICD-S800E, the 800 mm ring takes goods up to 600 mm in diameter, with no length limit per the product page; a bundle of many small pipes also only needs a total bundle diameter not exceeding 600 mm.

Two things need to be considered before choosing this type. First, wrapping the side of the bundle does not seal the ends: one manufacturer notes itself that spiral wrapping alone does not create a rain barrier for the bundle ends, so goods going by sea need separate protection at both ends. Second, short block-shaped goods that sit neatly on a pallet should still go through a pallet wrapper; see also the guide to choosing a stretch wrapping machine to match the machine to your goods.

Compared with hand wrapping and turntable machines

Hand wrapping long goods usually takes one person walking along the bundle, with uneven film pull and gaps likely in the middle section. I do not give labor or film savings figures because there is no measured source for each type of goods; for the model you have chosen, time and weigh the film on one hand-wrapped bundle first, then compare it with a trial bundle run on the machine. In configuration, a horizontal machine differs from a turntable machine in four main ways.

ICD-S800E: specifications to check against your goods

ICD Vietnam distributes the S800E horizontal stretch wrapper for pipe, aluminum, and wood-panel factories that need to automate finished-goods packing. The specifications below are taken from the product page; the conveyor configuration is designed to the length of the goods and the floor plan of each factory.

The machine uses sensors to detect the start and end of the bundle to begin wrapping, stop, and cut the film automatically. A warehouse with only single-phase power needs an extra single-phase to three-phase converter. See the other models at ICD pallet stretch wrapping machines. Send the cross-section size, length, and output you need to wrap through the contact section at the end of the guide to get configuration advice.

Send your details for a flow pack or horizontal stretch wrapper quotation from ICD Vietnam

ICD Vietnam supplies both flow pack machines and horizontal stretch wrappers. To quote the right configuration, send a few details: the product to be packed, the length, width and height of one item, the number of packs per minute or bundles per shift, the film you currently use and the power supply at your plant. Photos or video of the actual goods help our technicians choose the machine faster. Hotline and Zalo are in the contact section at the end of this guide.

Frequently asked questions about horizontal packing machines

Are a horizontal packing machine and a flow-pack machine the same thing?

The names overlap but the machines differ. A flow pack forms a pillow pouch around a small product and seals it, used for candy, medicine, and cosmetics. A horizontal stretch wrapper like the ICD-S800E wraps PE stretch film around long goods, with no pouch forming and no sealing. ICD supplies both types: horizontal stretch wrappers for long goods and flow pack machines for small products packed in volume.

How many meters of long goods can a horizontal stretch wrapper wrap?

Per the product page, the ICD-S800E has no limit on goods length; the practical limit is the conveyor length and how the goods are supported, and the minimum configuration needs about 6-8 m. The hard limit is the cross-section: goods up to 600 mm in diameter so they fit through the 800 mm ring.

Does horizontal wrapping protect containerized goods from moisture?

The film layer binds the goods and covers the body from dust, but spiral wrapping alone does not seal the two ends of the bundle. Goods going by sea should get separate protection at both ends; ICD will advise on how to bundle by goods type during the site survey.

Can a warehouse with only single-phase power use the ICD-S800E?

The machine requires 380V three-phase power. A single-phase warehouse needs an extra single-phase to three-phase converter; the cost depends on the capacity, and ICD will quote it during the site survey.

Contact ICD Vietnam

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